Chapter 4
Section 4.2
Terrestrial and Aquatic Biomes
Biomes
•
Biome – is a large geographical region
with a specific range of temperatures and
precipitation, and the organisms are
adapted to those conditions of
temperature and precipitation.
• There are two major types of biomes:
1. Terrestrial
2. Aquatic
Terrestrial Biomes in Canada
•
There are 4 terrestrial biomes in Canada:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Tundra
Taiga
Temperate Deciduous Forest
Grasslands
Terrestrial Biomes in Alberta
•
There are 3 terrestrial biomes in Alberta:
1. Taiga
2. Grasslands
3. Temperate deciduous forest
Taiga (Boreal Forest) Biome
• Found in Northern Alberta and along the
Rocky Mountains.
• Abiotic factors:
- Changeable weather
- Soil contains some water and is acidic
- Average precipitation
• Biotic factors :
- black and grizzly bears
- wolverines
- weasels
- moose
- deer
- grouse
- owls
- spruce and pine (coniferous or
cone-bearing)
- shrubs, ferns, mosses and lichens
• There are different ecosystems within the taiga
depending on the amount of sunlight.
• One of these ecosystems is in the muskeg.
• Muskegs:
- muskeg is the thin layer of soil above the
permafrost that is swampy and boggy
- in the summer when snow melts, the
permafrost prevents the water from moving all
the way to the water table, so it remains in the
top layers, saturating them
- muskegs are home to moss, lichens, small
shrubs and tall grasses
Boreal
Forest
Muskeg
Grassland Biome
• Found in central and southern Alberta.
• Abiotic factors:
-
Fertile soils
Warm temperatures
Rapid decay
Rich humus layers
Less precipitation
• Biotic factors:
-
Bison
Deer
Rabbits
Hawks
Yellow-bellied sapsuckers
Grasshoppers
Fescue grasses
Grasslands
Deciduous Forest Biome
• Found in central Alberta.
• Abiotic factors:
- Increased sunlight and warmer temperatures
- Rich fertile soil
- More precipitation
• Biotic Factors:
-
Black bears
Weasels
Moose
Deer
Woodpeckers
Deciduous trees (leaves)
Shrubs
Deciduous Forest
Aquatic Biomes in Canada
•
There are 2 aquatic biomes in Canada:
1. Salt Water
2. Fresh Water
Salt
Water
Fresh
Water
Aquatic Biomes in Alberta
• There is 1 aquatic biome in Alberta:
1. Fresh water or lake ecosystem
Fresh Water Biomes
•
•
The fresh water biomes in Alberta are
made up of lake ecosystems.
Lake ecosystems have 3 main zones:
1. Littoral zone
2. Limnetic zone
3. Profundal zone
Littoral Zones
• The area from the shore of the lake or
pond to the point where no more plants
grow in the lake bottom.
• It is warm, shallow and has lots of oxygen.
• It has many photosynthetic organisms and
is the most productive zone.
Limnetic Zones
• The area of a lake or pond in which there
is open water and sufficient light for
photosynthesis to occur.
• There are a few photosynthetic organism.
• Contains consumers such as fish,
tadpoles, and birds.
Profundal Zones
• The region of a lake beneath the limnetic zone,
in which there is insufficient light for
photosynthesis to occur.
• It has cool temperatures and is very dark.
• There are few nutrients, low oxygen due to
no photosynthesis and a high number of bacteria.
• It contains low oxygen organisms such as carp.
LITTORAL ZONE